The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-03-10
ON THE DOLORES NEWS.

| IL there IS anything In this world OF
| the next that Frank Hartman if afraid OF
| l would like to see it produced. He 10,
or rather was, a newspaper man. l say
| was because it has been five years since
| l saw him and three since l heard that
he was alive. And in the country where
Frank is practicing "fearless Journalism"
| one is liable to be summoned to 60 "over
| the range" in short order. If he is dead,
then this may go as semi-obituary; If he
| is living he may see it and use the scls-
sors and paste on it.
| OF Hartman's antecedents | know
| little, He was not very communicative
| upon the subject of his past career, and
| except that he once told me that he had
| been III newspaper offices all his life and
| had never been east of the Missouri
| River, he never mentioned it. He was
| % years old when first met him, in the
| latter part of 1881.
l had gone to Colorado in search of a
fortune-which, by the way, 1 never
| found-and had drifted down into the
corner ofthe State, near where Utah, Arr
| iona, New Mexico, and Colorado come
together. The mining fever had caught
me and as every one in Denver was talk
ing OF the wonderful "strikes" near Rico,
little mining camp in Dolores County,
had spent my last cent in getting here,
trusting, in the happy Colorado way, to
making living when l arrived at the
camp. was good deal of tenderfoot
then and did not know that mining
camp III the middle of winter is in a state
of desuetude, except for the gambling
and drinking. There is always plenty of
that going on.
| footed it through the snow for thirty
miles, from little station called Lock
wood, and arrived at Rico ons bitter cold
night with just 25 cents in my pocket
the price of glass of whisky or cigar.
| was as hungry as a wolf, but the cheap
est meal In the place cost Is cents.
While l was wondering what to do to get
outside of square meal, L happened to
catch sight of Il faro game in full blast,
through the half opened door of a bril-
liantly lighted saloon. l walked in, fish
ed my solitary quarter out of my pocket,
coppered 1t Oh the king, and lost!
Now [ must confess that / have fought
the tiger in his lair many time in my
life, aud am not in the habit of growing
| occasion an Involuntary "d-n" rose to
/ my lips and escaped before l could shut
| my teeth quick enough to keep it In.
| | watched the game for minute or 50,
| and then turned on my heel and walked
| over to the stove.
Standing there was a remarkably
| handsome young man, with regular,
clear-cut features and merry brown eyes,
| and whose most conspicuous article of
dress was a wide Mexican sombrsro,
| which he wore tilted over his left ear in
quite Turkish fashion. He looked me
| well over and then asked, pleasantly:
".Iust come in?"
eyes"
Footed it. of course2"
| Yes"
l Thought SO, because I'm expecting
| the mails, and ought to know as soon as
| they get here. We haven't had any for
| two weeks. What's the news2"
L told him what / could of what was
| going on in the world at large, and hand
| ed him a Denver newspaper which | had
| brought with me. He seemed delighted
| with the paper, and invited ne to go
| around to his Office with him. On the
1 way be told me that bis name was Frank
| Hartman, and that he was the editor,
1 publisher, and business manager, report
| Jrial staff, advertising agent, head COM
| position, pressman, and chief "devil' OF
| the Dolores AeC8, published weekly,
price 10 cents.
We arrived at the "office' in due time
| aud found it to consist of log shanty,
| with printing press, small steam engine,
| half dozen ''cases," and pine table in
| 1t for furniture. Chairs there were none,
| but soap boxes and nail kegs were used
| instead. [ sat on one of these and Hart
| man took another; and then and there
! proceeded to make up" the photographic
| uews from the Denver paper. 1 lent my
| assistance and told him how | was stu
| tted ct the same TINA. The result was
| hat L was employed as assistant general
| tactotum and co manager, and au hour
| later was hurryiug down to "Billy's" res
| taurant with fiye-dollar bill in my hand.
For the next few weeks things went
| smoothly enough. There was not much
| Sork for two men ON the editorial staff
| OF the Dolores Ne,Os, but there was work
enough for twenty to collect subscrip
| lions and advertising bills. The saloons
all paid IN trade and the merchants
wanted TO do likewise, but we drew the
line there.
One night two desperadoes, who had
shot and killed the Town Marshal few
weeks before, and had made their escape
| down into New Mexico, were brought
| into the camp and lodged in the log Jail
| or calaboose, as it WAS called. The
| miners and citizens generally were very
| much excited over the event, and it was
| very freely limited that the murderers'
| stay in the prison would be cut short
| with moose. The Sheriff put a guard
| around the Jail and went home. In the
| morning the two prisoners were found
| hanging side by side to a rafter of half
| finished house near. The guards said
| they had been overpowered by about 40
masked men, and had had to give up the
| prisoners to save their own lives.
Now, the vigilance committee CT Rico
had the reputation of being the best or
gained and high toned body of the kind
| III the Southwest. 1t was composed of
leading citizens, and some of our best
| advertisers we're prominent members of
| 1t. As matter of business, therefore,
| the NetcS treated the lynching bee In the
| mhdest sort of way, and said not one
| word IN dlsparagement of the vigilantes
| That was where We made the mistake.
1t gave the impression that the editors
| Of the Ne10s were afraid to speak out in
| defense Of law and order, and it was said
that care for our own personal safety was
| what prompted our mild treatment of the
affair. This talk was not long in reach
ing Franks ear, and he quickly made up
his mind what to do. l was sitting in
the office when he came in. There vas
a glitter in his dark eyes which boded
| danger for some one.
! I'm going to get out a little extra -
ne said quietly, ''and 1 think it'll sell
| like hot cakes"
phen he sat down on a nail key and
| began TO write with feverish rapidity.
only stopping once to give orders to the
! foreman to get the engine ready. Wben